First Cases of HIV Transmitted Through Cosmetic Needles Identified: CDC

Multiple people contracted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through cosmetic needles after receiving facials at an unlicensed spa in New Mexico, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Three women who received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) microneedling facials, also known as vampire facials, at the spa contracted HIV and an investigation pointed to the facials as the method of transmission, a new paper from CDC scientists states. The spa in question, the since-shuttered VIP Salon, was dubbed spa A in the paper. “This investigation is the first to associate HIV transmission with nonsterile cosmetic injection services. A common exposure to spa A among clients without behaviors associated with HIV acquisition helped identify a possible cluster association, and analysis of additional data suggested that HIV transmission likely occurred via receipt of PRP with microneedling facial procedures,” the scientists, who worked with New Mexico health officials said....